Bullheaded

my first class with six.” Davis shook with quiet laughter. “I guess Cody never told you I used to train boys to ride. Younger than this group. Kids around twelve, thirteen, just starting out. The only advantage is, even though boys that age still want to strut and look brave, they haven’t mastered the bluff yet. It used to get pretty quiet the first time they saw a bull up close.”
    “You let them ride a bull?” Johnny was amazed.
    “No, calves really. Hell, half of them were mounted on heifers and never knew the difference.”
    “Is that where Cody first learned?”
    Davis laughed out loud as if the question jogged some memory for him. “He wasn’t like any other kid I ever saw. When he was three I caught him riding a sheep.”
    Johnny laughed. “A mutton buster, huh? I should have known.”
    “He never showed any fear, but damn if that confidence of his didn’t sometimes trip him up. First time up on a bull was the first time he broke his right arm. After we got back from the doctor, he got right back on again and rode with a cast ’til he healed up. I think the weight of that cast settled him down some. The pain sure didn’t.”
    “I’m not sure he ever is afraid. He likes to take chances.”
    “Yeah, he lives for the rush. He’s still got things to learn.”
    “How come I never heard you used to ride bulls too?”
    “Val’s the star in our partnership. She was the best girl rider of her time. Prettiest too. Rode professionally for over fifteen years when sponsors weren’t so eager to pin their logos onto a woman. Won so many buckles and saddles we had to buy a bigger house just to have someplace to put them. I was a competent rider, that’s about it. Never earned much and rode in the middle of the pack until I cracked a vertebrae in my neck one day.” Davis said all this with a quiet pride that told Johnny his ego was intact.
    “Was that when you started teaching?”
    “One of the board members of the NBR Riders Association took pity on me when I was laid up. When I was on my feet again, he sent a few kids who needed lessons my way. Turned out ‘those who can’t, teach’ was true for me.”
    “I’ll bet you were good at it.”
    “I turned out to be. Five national champions got their start right here on this ranch, and a whole bunch of other top-flight riders. And then there’s Cody. He’s one of the best riders I’ve ever seen. If he keeps his focus this year he might be a first-time national champion with two wins in a row. That’d be something to see.” Davis straightened up. “You got time to fix a busted-down fence?”
    “You been saving it for me?” Johnny grinned, flattered that Davis valued his craftsmanship that much.
    “Yeah, sure have been. I like the way you do it. Patience is a virtue in my book. Give it enough time and you’ll have rebuilt the entire run of fence on this place from the ground up for me, piece by piece.”
    “Sure, where’s the break?”
    “Ten miles along the southwest stretch. My truck’s parked out back behind the equipment barn, loaded up with tools and lumber and such, all ready for you.”
    “Okay, no problem.” Fleetingly, Johnny thought maybe he should let Cody know where he was going, but it was just too nice to pass up a chance to be on his own for a while. Plus Davis had given him something to think about. He couldn’t help but see some parallels between them; Val was the star in their relationship, while Cody was the star with him. Davis seemed content to be on the sidelines, but maybe it was just after an injury and a long time getting used to playing second fiddle. Having a broken neck would at least be a good excuse for not being able to do something more, although he suspected Val didn’t see it that way. The love between the two of them may not have seethed with excitement, but he could see it steady in their eyes.
    He walked back down for the truck and drove the line to search for the bent of broken fence. The rails Davis had loaded into the truck were cut to length, and Johnny figured he could get the work done in a couple hours.
    Carefully, he pulled out the broken wood and cleared the splintered fragments from the holes. He dry-fitted the first rail and pulled it out to shave off some excess so it would sit better with the intersecting rail.
    There were only two rails left to go when he heard the sound of horse’s hooves. Wiping the sweat from his forehead covered by his hat, he stood up and waited for the